Sword of the Great Spirit
Prologue After being shoved through a Matoran-sized portal by a being named Morotok, Ihu expected to be in a city. Instead, he found himself in a forest. Trees were packed up all around him, and the leaves blocked out most of the sunlight. Then Ihu realised it was very early in the morning, and that the suns hadn't risen yet. As he got to his feet, Ihu saw a red-armoured Toa in a small clearing. He looked like he was attending to wounds, so Ihu ran over to see if he could help. Then he saw what it really was-a Toa Hordika preparing for battle. "Hello there, Toa of Ice," the Hordika growled,"I presume you are ready to 'meet your maker'." "What?" Before Ihu could say anything else, the Hordika had jumped and kicked him twice in the head. As Ihu hit the ground, the Hordika drew a chainsaw and grabbed Ihu. He put the weapon to Ihu throat and said, "Are you ready to face death, Toa of Ice?" 'kills' Ihu]] "I've already been there once, and it's not a nice experience!" Was Ihu's reply as he blocked the chainsaw and kicked the Hordika in the chest. It did nothing, and the chainsaw found it's way through Ihu's chest. Chapter 1 "Gelik, I think we've found something!" Yezu said to his friend on the back seat. He had spotted a white and silver glint in the distance. He changed gears on his buggy and drove towards it. It was a Toa of Ice. It had a large hole in its chest, but was still breathing. "Lemme' have a look at him," Gelik said as she jumped off the buggy. The Toa had sustained a very serious injury and should have been dead, but it was still alive. The two Matoran loaded the Toa of Ice onto the back of the buggy and drove off. **** When Ihu opened his eyes, he was in some kind of workshop, staring into the friendly faces of two Matoran. One of them, a black Fe-Matoran wearing a Kanohi Kakama, said "Great! You're awake! Are you hurt?" Ihu said nothing, but looked down at his chest. There was a big gaping hole from the Hordika's chainsaw. Suddenly, the hole closed itself, and the two Matoran glared at Ihu. "Mata Nui!" They exclaimed in unison. Ihu could not belive his eyes. He had died a second time, and then healed himself completely without even thinking! Then the other Matoran, a yellow Matoran of Lightning wearing a Kanohi Pakari, asked, "Who or what are you? Are you a Makuta?" Ihu stopped himself from saying yes, as he thought that telling the Matoran he was half-Toa and half-Makuta would be a bad idea. "No. My name is Ihu. I'm a Toa from Metru Nui." "Awesome!" The yellow Matoran was clearly very excited. "I'm Gelik, and this is Yezu. We found you in the Great Forest yesterday." "But what I don't get," Yezu said, "Is how you were stabbed in the chest and came out alive and unharmed. How did you do it?" "I don't know," was Ihu's only response. Chapter 2 Toa Halok stood on top of The Library, watching the world go by. The island of Irania Nui seemed infinite from where he was standing. Technology was so advanced here that any smoke or steam that tried to break the beautiful skyline dissipated immediately. He could have stayed and looked on forever...but then his comlink bleeped. He put the device to his ear. "Hello?" "Halok! It's Yezu here. There's someone I think you need to meet. He says his name is Ihu. He's a Toa of Ice." "I'll be right over!" Halok shut his comlink, activated his jetpack, and leapt off the building. Combined with his control over the element of air, he could fly at tremendous speeds with incredible ease. After a few seconds in the air, Halok flew downwards, and landed in front of Yezu's workshop. The Fe Matoran was standing with a white and silver Toa, and was showing him all of the different features on his dilapidated buggy. "Yezu?" The Matoran turned at the sound of Halok's voice. "Hi Halok!" He said. "This is Ihu. He claims to be from Metru Nui." Halok looked at the stranger. "Metru Nui, eh? I heard it was destroyed in the Great Cataclysm." "Well, kind of half-destroyed," was Ihu's reply. The Toa of Ice put out his hand. "Nice to meet you, by the way!" Halok took Ihu's hand and shook it. "It's always nice to meet another Toa in these times. I suppose you're wondering where you are?" "Actually, Yezu filled me in on everything. It truly is a great island. I wish Nuju could see it." "Nuju?" Halok asked. "As in Turaga Nuju?" "He's a Turaga now?" There was a long pause, and Ihu just stared at Halok, almost as if he was waiting for an answer, but Halok didn't know what to say. Then Yezu spoke. "Maybe Ihu should see Turaga Lome." "Yes," Halok replied, "Maybe he should." Chapter 3 Why why why did I want this job? Juuloc thought to himself. It was the dullest thing in the whole of existence, except perhaps becoming a statue in Karzahni. All he and Kukaro did was stand around and watch Turaga Lome play with paperclips when he was meant to be dealing with important affairs. Which is why a knock on the door was the sound of his salvation. "Come in!" Tyraga Lome said, and the doors slid open. It was Toa Halok and another Toa. This one was white and silver (presumably a Toa of Ice) and wore a Kanohi Hau. "Hello, Turaga. This is Toa Ihu from Metru Nui. He says he was attacked by Ozarii in the Great Forest." Halok got straight to the point. "You know him?" Ihu sounded like a Matoran. But not a Ko Matoran. He was too enigmatic for that. "He has been hiding in the Great Forest for years, killing anyone who gets too close." Lome's tone was heavy and sad. "We've tried endless ways of getting rid of him, but none seem to work. He's just too clever." "Well, something needs to be done then!" This Toa seemed too enthusiastic about it. "Maybe..." "We've had six Toa, including me, try." Halok cut Ihu off. "What makes you think you can do it? There was a short pause before Ihu said. "I don't. I hope I can, which seems to be all any of us can do." Another short pause ensued (broken only by Kukaro's heavy breathing), before Turaga Lome's comlink beeped. "Sorry, I have to take this call," he said. While the Turaga made his call, Halok told Ihu the island's current situation. Most of the Toa Iarn were away fighting the Sygran, and Ozarii and a mutant called Valorahk were running loose. "What a predicament," Ihu commented. "Seems like you need help." "Look, that's not what I meant, and I think you know that," Halok replied. "But, I suppose you have a point. Come with me, and we'll see what ya' got!" Chapter 4 In the headquarters of the Iarn Military, Halok led Ihu into a large room with white protosteel walls. It was one of the many training rooms. He took Ihu to the center, and then hopped over to a control station. It was behind a reinforced glass wall so that Halok could observe Ihu's movements during the test. "Stage 1!" he shouted down the microphone at his companion, and then flicked a switch. Six doors at the sides of the room opened and a robot vaguely reminiscent of a Toa stepped out of each. They lunged at Ihu, who shrugged them off and sent a hail of ice bolts flying through them. When the ice had reached it's target, it seemed to melt and subsequently short-circuited each robot. They malfunctioned and imploded, leaving Ihu standing exactly where he was in the center of the room, unscathed. He had barely moved. "Uh, how about Stage 2?" Halok flicked another switch, and a larger android appeared from a seventh door. It walked towards Ihu, who grabbed it by the neck. Before the robot could respond, it had short-circuited and blown open, protoiron flying everywhere. Once again, Ihu was unscathed. Halok called in a cleaner droid, and walked towards Ihu. "What the Karzahni was that?" "What was what?" "You're a Toa of Ice, not Lightning. So how did you do that?" Ihu walked close to the Toa of Air. "Halok, can you keep a secret?" He whispered in his ear. Chapter 5 Salata wandered through the Great Forest, his lizard-like eyes scanning the surroundings. The Keeper had told him that Ozarii had returned to Salata's forest, so he had set out to find the stinking Hordika. So far, his hunt was unsuccessful, although he had managed to drive off several other dangers to the forest and to the Matoran. The Great Cataclysm had brought a myriad of evil beings from the Pit into the Great Forest, chasing Salata's Psy Matoran friends out. Salata was so lonely. His only friends now were the local Rahi, and not even all of them were tame. Then he saw a red figure ahead of him. Charging his Blazer Claws, Salata prepared for battle. Chapter 6 Ihu sat in Yezu's workshop, watching the Matoran fix his buggy. "Fell into a canyon last week," the Fe Matoran said. "I've been fixing it ever since." Yezu tried to attach two cables, but failed. "Let me have a go," Ihu said, and Yezu passed him the ends. Calling upon the element of plasma, Ihu welded the cables together. Yezu just stared at him and at the fixed cable. Then the Matoran asked, "I don't suppose you can charge the battery can you?" That wasn't what I thought was coming, Ihu thought. "Sure! Where is it, and what do I charge it with?" "The battery is just over there, and the power supply is right next to it. It's too high up for me to use." Yezu pointed to a black and yellow cuboid with wires protruding from all sides. When Ihu touched it, he could tell that it was extremely hot, possibly from overheating during it's previous use. Then Ihu realised that Yezu knew, and could see that Ihu wasn't even slightly burned. Yezu had tested him, and he had just proved positive. "I knew it! You're a Makuta!" Yezu shouted. "No! No, I'm not," Ihu knelt down by the Matoran. "I'm only half. The rest of me is pure Toa of Ice, like it's always been." "Always?" "Well, I was a Matoran once." "I know. I went to Metru Nui many years ago. The day you died on the way to work, when the chute you were travelling in was attacked by Nui Rama!" Yezu sounded almost angry. Ihu's secret didn't seem like a secret anymore. "Yes, I did die, but a Makuta called Locuz caught the imprint on my Kanohi and worked on bringing me back to life. He thought I had some great destiny...but he died before he could tell me anything else. He gave his life force and his powers for me, but that does mean I'm half Makuta." "Does anyone else now?" Ihu didn't want to reveal the Order of Mata Nui to the Fe Matoran, so he just said, "Halok, and a few others, but that's it." Yezu seemed to consider this for a moment, before saying, "Okay. I believe you. I won't tell anyone." "Thanks, Yezu!" Phew, Ihu thought to himself. Then there was a knock at the door. Chapter 7 Halok opened the door to see Salata standing in front of him. His armour was damaged, and he was panting heavily. His left arm was hanging limp by his side. "THAT DAMN HORDIKA'S BACK!" "Where? Where's Ozarii?" "In the forest." Salata paused. "By the ruins...with two Matoran...Gaz and Kesol..." Halok led Salata to the medical bay. "Okay. We'll find them. You stay here and I'll get a medic." "Thank you, Halok," Salata was genuinely gracious. "You've always been a good friend to me and my people." "Don't worry about it. I'm glad I can help." Halok waved goodbye and walked back into the corridor, immediately flicking his comlink open. "Kon. This is Halok. Medic needed in Bay 3. And we've got Ozarii, as well as Gaz and Kesol. Call in the marines...and Ihu." **** There was a crash, and Yezu's unconscious body feel back into the corridor. Ihu ran up to Yezu, and saw what had happened. Standing in the doorway was a white Rahkshi-type creature. "Hello, Ihu." It slammed itself into the Toa of Ice, ad knocked him onto the floor. Ihu lashed out with a shadow bolt, but the creature blocked it with its own. Ihu threw a ball of plasma at it, but the Rahkshi hurled more plasma into it, sending the blast into a wall. And when Ihu tried to freeze the Rahkshi, it shrugged the ice off. "What are you?" Ihu asked. "I am Valorahk," it replied. "I am like you, only not a Toa." Ihu studied Valorahk. "And not male or female, either, by the look of it." Valorahk threw Ihu across the hall. "SHUT UP!" When Ihu regained stability, he hurled chain lightning at Valorahk, but the creature blocked it with a similar blast. Everything Ihu could use against the Rahkshi, it could block. But was there anything he could do that Valorahk couldn't? And then it struck Ihu. Activating his Kanohi Hau, Ihu trapped Valorahk inside a sheild bubble. "What? No!" It shouted. "Here's something you can't block, Rahkshi!" Ihu threw the bubble out into the street, and bashed it around on walls and lightstone posts. Eventually, Valorahk fell into unconsciousness, his body sprawled out at the bottom of the bubble. "Wow!" Yezu exclaimed. Ihu turned to see the Matoran standing by his side. "Yezu, are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm fine." Ihu looked back at the Rahkshi. He picked it up, dropped it into a dumpster, and closed the lid. "What a rubbish fighter. You'll be staying there until the military get here!" Then somebody said, "They've already arrived." The Toa of Ice spun on his heels and saw Halok standing with some Matoran marines. "Toa Halok!" "Ihu, we need your help." Chapter 8 "Here you go, Ozarii. And thanks, too. Ya' sure ya' don't wanna' come with us?" Kesol addressed his red-armoured ally. "No, Kesol. I have maters to deal with here, first. You and Gaz are better flying on your own." Kesol's face dropped. "Okay then. I guess we'll seeya' 'round!" Kesol walked up the small loading ramp, and bid Ozarii farewell. The airlock shut behind him, and the SS Kalmah the Conqueror took off into space. Ozarii smiled. He may have been a Hordika, but he could still be kind if the need arose. And that kindness had bought him a gigantic machine gun turret, connected to a Kanohi Trinek, meaning that it would never run out of ammunition. No Toa would get to him, now. They'd all be smoking corpses on the ground before they could even blink. "Freeze!" Ozarii looked up to see an entire squadron of Matoran (all fully armed) led by Toa Halok and a Toa of Ice. The very same Toa that Ozarii had killed a few days before. A chill ran down his spine. **** "He said freeze, you incompetent Brakas!" Ihu shouted at Ozarii, who was preparing a machine gun. When Ozarii still didn't stop, Ihu ran over and kicked the Hordika in the chest. Ozarii fell backwards and slammed into the ground, and Ihu destroyed the machine gun and the Kanohi Trinek. Then he created a sonic ball and placed it by Ozarii's ear. "Will you come quietly, or do you want me to be a bit louder?" "Louder." So Ihu slammed the ball into Ozarii's skull, and the Hordika screamed. But he managed to lash out, and sent Ihu sprawling into a tree far away from the battle. The tree collapsed on him, and it all went black. Chapter 9 When he woke up, Ihu was in a small medical bay, lying on a soft white bed, with a group of shocked Ce Matoran doctors standing around him. The reports on the desk beside him said that his spine had been crushed, so the fact that it was now fully healed scared the doctors witless. A door opened, and the Matoran all turned. The new arrival was a tall Ga Matoran in blue armour, two Aqua Axes sheathed at her side. She wore a purple Kanohi Pakari, and was holding some kind of harness. Her voice was harsher than Ihu had expected. "Toa Ihu?" The Toa of Ice coughed up a blue liquid as he tried to respond. "Don't try to talk for now. Your spine and nerves have all fully healed, but your vocal chords are still badly damaged." She sat down on the bed beside Ihu and unfolded the harness. "Listen, I know you've had a rough time, but we need you out there on the battlefield to stop Ozarii. Halok and his soldiers are stuck out there fighting a battle they can't win." She held up the harness. "The armour of the Great Spirit was forged by a great Matoran inventor. It will give you the strength you need." Again, Ihu tried to speak, but couldn't. However, the Ga Matoran knew exactly what he was going to say. "My name is Filex. And the escort is outside waiting for you." The Toa smiled and jumped up from the bed, startling the other Matoran. He slipped the harness over his head, and suddenly felt a surge of power, greater than his transformation from Matoran to Toa. His vision blurred, and when the world came back into focus, he was taller, with large shoulder guards, heavy body armour, and his two Energized Ice Swords were longer, sharper, and glowing an unnatural cyan colour. He was ready. Chapter 10 Halok didn't know how long they could keep this up. Two Matoran soldiers had fallen, including one MT-AV and its pilot. Kantor had a large burn running down his right leg, and Halok himself was struggling to move his hand, which had taken the full force of Ozarii's chainsaw. His palm was chewed to pieces. Across from his hiding place, Halok could see Kantor mouthing commands at him. Prepare to fire. Halok nodded, and drew a small Cordak blaster pistol. He aimed at Ozarii, and waited for the command to fire. It never came. There was a bright flash, and a tall white and silver being descended from the sky, slicing at Ozarii. The Hordika blocked with his chainsaw, but was knocked to the ground. He rose up immediately, and parried another blow. That was when Halok heard it - a voice in his mind. Ihu's voice. Get the Karzahni out of here! I'll take the Hordika! Just get yourself and the Matoran out! Having been a soldier all his life, Halok knew when to take orders from below, and now was such a time. He ran across to Kantor, who had also heard the command, and then they ran to the wounded, all the while watching the battle raging ahead of them. Chapter 11 "Again? You want to be defeated for a third time?" Ozarii knew his taunts wouldn't be enough. The Toa that stood in front of him was taller and stronger than before, and was (Ozarii guessed) still immortal. Not this time. Somehow, the Toa was responding telepathically. He hadn't even opened his mouth since his arrival. "What, you aren't even going talk? You're that lazy?" No, not lazy. You're just not worth the breath. With that, the Toa unleashed a hail of...well, hail. The weather was at his command. Ozarii dodged the chunks of ice that were headed his way, followed by two lightning strikes. The he noticed that the Toa wasn't even moving. He was just standing, eyes closed, willing the storm to continue attacking Ozarii. That was going to be his first mistake. Ozarii swung round and brought his chainsaw, white-hot, to the Toa's neck. But his eyes snapped open, and a hand flicked up to his neck, blocking the chainsaw, and destroying the moving blade. It was useless. The storm stopped. Ihu - that was his name, somehow Ozarii knew - grabbed the Hordika's blade, and it began to melt. This is your last chance, Ozarii. I have been extremely nice so far. Surrender, and I take you in alive. Continue fighting, and I blast you to atoms. "Not very Toa-like, are you?" was Ozarii's response. "I thought you guys didn't kill!" They don't. As soon as Ihu had said it, he realized what was happening. The Makuta inside him - his dark side - was taking over. He was so shocked that he let his thoughts flow out, and his opponent picked them up with ease. Despite his powers and armour, Ihu had just given Ozarii the upper hand. The Hordika leapt towards Ihu and brought down his claw. It struck Ihu in the chest, and knocked him to the ground. A shield bubble suddenly appeared around the Toa, and Ozarii was blown back. "Is that the best you've got?" he said as he got back to his feet. Ihu was on his feet, too. Ozarii stepped forwards. "Go on then. I'm not going to surrender, so save yourself a lot of time and effort and kill me!" Ihu just stared. He knew he had the power, that the battle could be over in just under two seconds. But that was the easy road, taken by villains and antiheroes, who didn't value the lives of all beings, including their enemies. Were they right, though? Was Ozarii's life worth preserving after all the beings he had killed and wounded? It would be right to blow him apart here and now... No! That was the Makuta talking! The Toa code say to preserve life at all costs... "Oh, but you're not just a Toa. I've seen what you can do, and I've worked out what you are. I never thought Locuz would have the guts to do it, though..." He had more guts than you'll have when I'm through with you! Again, that was his Makuta side. He had to ignore that voice, or Ozarii would overpower him, or - worst of all - send him down the wrong path. That was when the Hordika made his next move. He unleashes a huge vortex of flame at Ihu, which struck him in the chest before he could dodge or erect of shield. His armour melting around him, Ihu was blown back through the forest, to a large clearing, where the grass ignited around him. Using his control over ice, Ihu put out the flames, and turned back to where Ozarii was coming towards him. What would he do? Would he kill Ozarii? Or would he defeat him and take him to a secure cell, and lock him up, knowing fully well that one day, Ozarii would inevitably break out, just to start the battle over again? In those final moments of the battle, Ihu overpowered his darker side, and made a decision that would affect the fates of many. Just Ozarii was about to strike, Ihu shed the harness, took swords, and kicked Ozarii in the chest. He spun around the former Toa of Fire, taking his weapons, and knocking him to the ground, disarmed and at Ihu's mercy. His own sword was pointed at his throat. Ihu was able to croak out one sentence. "You lose Ozarii. I'm bringing you in!" Epilogue In the training facility, Halok sat in the control booth, watching an unarmed Toa of Ice using his bare fists to take down a myriad of training 'bots. He was a fighting machine, yet he was extremely controlled. Not once did he decapitate or pull the droid heart from his opponent, just knocked them to the ground, and waited for them to surrender. A week ago, he had blown the training androids up the second they walked too close. Something - most likely in his battle with the Toa Hordika Ozarii - had clicked in his mind, and he was no longer just a rookie with more powers than actual skill. Halok admired him. Ihu had learned in a few days what it had taken Halok years to understand. He'd saved himself a lot of time and a lot of pain in the process. Going back to his magazine, Halok chuckled - it wasn't every day that a new Toa arrived, much less the so-called Sword of the Great Spirit. The End Characters *Ihu *Hordika Lord Ozarii *Gelik *Yezu *Halok *Turaga Lome *Juuloc *Kukaro *Salata *Valorahk *Filex *Kantor *Kesol *Gaz (Mentioned) *Six Practice Drones *A large Practice Android *A Cleaner Droid *Several Ce Matoran doctors See Also *Land of the Dark Hunters Category:Ihu Category:Ihu's Stories Category:Stories Category:The Legacy Chronicles